Meet the band: Brazilian 2wins

Brazilian 2wins play a CD release show at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Vaudeville Mews, 212 Fourth St.

When you think of Brazilian music, the violin probably isn't the first thing to come to mind. But that's what twin brothers Walter and Wagner Caldas got their start playing growing up in Rio de Janeiro. Their father was a violin maker and while it didn't win them any cred as street musicians, it did earn them an opportunity to come perform in Cedar Falls, as well as a music scholarship at UNI.

These days Walter plays electric violin while Wagner plays the ukulele and they're backed bassist Riley Scheetz and drummer Raqwon Reed. Saturday the group will release its debut EP.

"We were the only two kids playing violin in a very poor neighborhood in Rio," Wagner said. "People there thought it was a musician for old people, but we were able to minimize the bad image it had with our playing. When we got to Iowa, our playing was very different from what people were expecting. We always freestyle and improvise."

Walter and Wagner plan on making Iowa their permanent home, but are touring around the Midwest this summer as well as heading to New York to spread their unique style of music. The twins will also perform at this year's 80/35 Music Festival.

"We want to expand outside of Iowa," Walter said. "We love this place, but we want to play all over, then come back home to Iowa. That's the plan."